It hasn’t been an easy week for the Barnstable girls volleyball team, but it has been victorious, and the Red Raiders will now compete for their 15th State title after winning their 18th South Sectional crown Nov. 10.

After a stellar season, the Raiders earned the No. 2 seed in the MIAA Div. 1 South, beginning their post-season battle Nov. 8 against Notre Dame Hingham at home.

The Cougars gave the Raiders a run last Thursday, forcing Barnstable to stay on its toes in games the Raiders won with scores of 25-22, 25-18, and 25-19.

Senior captain Regan Bristol led the night with 16 kills, followed by fellow captain and senior Colleen Koen with eight. Junior Ciara Bruning added five kills, and Hannah Andres two.

Adding to her ever-increasing tally, Kayla Crook had 28 assists in the match, with nine digs, a number matched by Stephanie Martin. Bruning and Nicole Derosier had six digs apiece, with Bristol and Anna Strock adding five each, Andres four and Holly Wilson three.

The victory in the semis set the Red Raiders up for another run at the South Sectional crown against past rival New Bedford, with Barnstable clawing its way to its 18th South Sectional title.

Once again, the opponent didn’t make it easy on the Raiders, playing to scores of 25-23, 25-16, and 25-21 for a 3-0 Barnstable sweep.

Koen and Crook were at the top of their games, with Koen slamming home 19 kills while Crook added 33 assists overall.

Regan Bristol had 12 kills and Andres six, with Andres also adding am impressive 20 digs to her stats. Martin had 14 digs in the outing.

Throughout the three-game series, each side, both clad in red and white uniforms, showed strength, engaging in a number of fierce volleys, with the teams playing to a 22-22 tie in Game 1 before the No. 1 seeded Whalers edged ahead 23-22.

Barnstable held on, however, and thanks to stellar play from Bristol, Bruning and Meghan Mamlock at the net, rallied back to claim the winning points.

Game 2 found Barnstable and New Bedford trading points, before the Raiders eked ahead 6-5 as Holly Wilson stepped to the service line.

Wilson, a junior, peeled off eight straight points to give Barnstable a solid lead the Whalers struggled to recover from.

Game 3 proved a true fight for the Red Raiders as a determined New Bedford team determinedly traded points and leads with Barnstable, which held a slight 13-12 lead midway through the final game.

The score ultimately reached a 19-19 deadlock before Wilson again proved a powerhouse at the service line, leading Barnstable to yet another thrilling victory.

The challenges posed in the games leading up to the state semifinals no doubt prepared the Raiders for what they might face against west sectional champ Lincoln-Sudbury.

But even as Barnstable fell in the opening game 27-29 and the third 22-25, they remained driven toward another overall win, winning the second game 25-14, the fourth game 25-18, and the final game 15-12 to advance to the state finals.

Playing at Bridgewater-Raynham High, the Raiders worked to recover from serious deficits in all but one of the night’s games in order to win, but win they did, as fans who made the off-Cape trek erupted in cheers.

In the end, Bristol recorded 31 kills and Koen 20, followed by Andres with nine and Colleen Kenney with four.

Kayla Crook had an impressive 54 assists in the outing, as well as 18 digs, but the dig leader of the day was Stephanie Martin with 23. Andres had 19 and Anna Strock tallied 13, while Kenney added six.

The Red Raiders travel to Algonquin Regional High tomorrow (Nov. 17) for the State Finals against Newton North, with game time slated for 6 p.m. Barnstable faced North earlier this season, incurring its only loss as North claimed the win 3-2.